Harold Morris, a retired Kodak employee who resides in Caledonia, New York, once found immense joy in riding motorcycles across America. With 30 years of experience, he had ridden his Harley-Davidson motorbike across Western New York and even made three trips to California. He proudly held the position of president of the Harley Owners Group in Batavia until a calamitous incident in June 2020, near the border of New York and Pennsylvania, ended this passion. Harold suffered severe injuries, but the most heartbreaking loss was of his partner and cohabitant, Pamela SinClair, who did not survive the accident.
Deeming a flaw in the traction control system of the Harley to be the cause of the accident, Morris and the estate of SinClair filed a lawsuit against Harley-Davidson. This month, a jury in Livingston County, New York, ruled Harley to be at fault for the incident. The court, on Tuesday, rewarded Morris and SinClair’s estate total damages worth $287 million. The sum included $240 million as punitive damages against the globally acclaimed motorcycle manufacturer.
According to Morris’s attorneys, the substantial award amount of $287 million is likely one of the most significant sums ever awarded in a product liability case in Western New York. With an acclaimed history, Harley-Davidson disputed these allegations throughout the trial in Geneseo with their lawyers questioning the driving capabilities of Morris. However, the Milwaukee-based manufacturer, boasting 121 years of operations, did not give an official statement, not responding to any e-mails or phone messages.
Contrasting the legal dispute the company found itself in, Harley-Davidson prides itself on being a reputable manufacturer of some of the world’s most sought-after motorcycles. From its humble beginnings in a shed in Milwaukee in 1903, Harley has built its brand by focusing on safety, even offering a dedicated training academy for its customers. The brand has built such a strong reputation that a survey of 25,000 American consumers conducted by Newsweek earlier this year listed Harley as one of America’s most trusted companies.
In the trial documents, it was cited that Morris was riding a 2019 Harley Tri Glide, a three-wheel version that he purchased for just under $40,000. It was revealed that the fatal accident, which sadly took SinClair’s life, was not the first incident Morris had experienced with the Harley Tri Glide. Previously, in February of 2019, Morris and SinClair were both injured when the rear wheel of the three-wheeler unexpectedly applied the brakes, leading the vehicle to lose control and crash into a wooded area in Florida.
Around the same time as the initial accident, Morris received a recall notice from Harley regarding a software issue with the traction control system of the three-wheeler. Morris chose not to sue after the first accident, but he did ask Harley to cover around $160,000 in medical expenses from his pocket. The company, however, rejected this request, asserting that the accident was unrelated to the issue later identified for the recall.
During the trial, Morris confessed that he had no memory of the accident which led to the tragic loss of SinClair. The only thing he remembered was waking up in a rehabilitation centre 10 weeks post-accident, being told of SinClair’s tragic demise. As the legal proceedings began, Harley’s lead attorney raised concerns about Morris’s competency with three-wheel motorcycles, having transitioned from previously riding two-wheel motorcycles.
Kircher, the attorney representing Harley, highlighted that three-wheelers required a different set of skills compared to two-wheel motorbikes. He mentioned that the Harley model Morris owned had gone through rigorous safety checks before being brought into the market. Despite that, lawyers for the plaintiff, Paul Edelstein and Daniel Thomas, confidently argued that the Tri Glide’s faulty traction system caused both accidents.
As per the police report from the 2019 Florida accident, it indicated brake trouble and equipment failure as the reasons for the crash. The report for the fatal accident in Pennsylvania, however, didn’t speculate on any cause except mentioning that the vehicle swerved unexpectedly off the road. The jury sided with the attorneys of the plaintiff, declaring Harley-Davidson liable for the premature death of SinClair and the injuries inflicted on Morris.
The jury then handed down punitive damages of $120 million each to Morris and SinClair’s estate, along with an additional $47 million for pain and suffering. The size of the punitive damages stirred a response from Chris O’Brien, an attorney from Amherst who regularly lectures on personal injury cases, who noted the unusually high amount of the punitive fine.
O’Brien suggested that such a large award could be an attempt by the jury to signal a strong message to Harley about the critical necessity of safety. He acknowledged that there is potential for the punitive damages to be reduced in the future either by the presiding judge or an appeals court.
Morris expressed his regret, recalling plans to tour the country on their Harley during retirement, visiting different camping spots and appreciating locational beauty. The unfortunate incident ended these dreams, along with ending the life of his beloved partner, SinClair.
Following the second accident, Morris confessed that he hasn’t added any more miles to his biking journey and has no future plans to relive his past riding experiences. The experience shook him to the core, leaving a permanent scar on his life which marked the end of his motorcycle riding days.